Let It Be
by OrionM42
Summary: Set directly after the last Jo/Zane scene in "Glimpse"  Jo takes Carter's advice. Fluffiness ensues. Seriously, I think I'm drowning in fluff. Don't say I didn't warn you.
1. Chapter 1

**This is complete and utter fluff that I just had to get out of my system. I tried my best to keep them both in character, but personal experience tends to sneak its way in. Hopefully the voices haven't been lost completely. Part two to be posted directly after this. Hope you enjoy.**

Jo felt, more than saw, as Zane walk up behind her before sitting down next to her at the back counter of Café Diem. _Let it be_, she thought to herself as she exhaled and tried to relax. _I can't believe I'm actually listening to Carter._

"Hey JoJo. I never thanked you for saving my life."

She finally turned her head to look at him and gave him a small smile. "Well, you saved mine, so I guess we're even."

He smiled back at her and try as she might to fight it, she felt her walls crumble just a little bit more. _This Zane certainly isn't quite the same guy I dated. The other Zane may have shown his appreciation for me in his own way, but he'd never come right out and actually thanked me before._

"So," he said, scooting a little bit closer to her and dropping his voice to a near whisper, "since we're not, you know, sleeping together ever again…" She chuckled softly, and encouraged, he went on. "I was wondering if I could take you out sometime."

She rolled her eyes at him and sighed. _He just won't give up_. "Fine," she said, "but I reserve the right to end the date at any time if it gets a little too…déjà vu."

He grinned widely and she couldn't help responding in kind. "Great! I'll meet you here on Sunday morning, say around 11?"

Her smile faltered a bit as she remembered their first date.

Oblivious to the change in her expression, he leaned even closer and smiled a little wicked smile. "I figured if I met you at Carter's or you met me at my place, you might forget your little celibacy vow. And I would never make you break your promise."

She laughed then, and Zane, feeling confident, leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. She blushed slightly at their first public display of affection, but he just smiled, said "See you then," and sauntered out the door.

Jo spent all day Saturday trying not to think about The Date. Early that morning, she decided she was going to pour herself into work, catching up on all of the post-PALS-incident paperwork she needed to do. But apprehension and worry kept intruding on her thoughts. _What if he meets me there with another rose? Is it awful to want him to _not _be romantic? What do I wear? What on earth will he want to talk about? I swear, if he brings up theoretical physics, I may cry. Or punch him. Yes, punching him would be more satisfying. Maybe I should bring a gun…_

She sighed, and shook her head. _Why does it have to be so complicated? I'm about to go on a first date with my almost-fiancée. No one should have to do that._ She was just about to change her mind and call it all off when she received a text.

_Bring your hiking boots tomorrow. -Z_

Well… _that_was certainly different.

So it was that she found herself walking up to Café Diem the next morning wearing a light cotton t-shirt, khaki pants and her hiking boots. She'd also brought a backpack to carry water, a knife, a hat, and a small first aid kit. Josephina Lupo could never be called unprepared.

She paused for a moment, steeling herself for her second- first date, and opened the doors. She found Zane immediately, sitting at the counter directly in front of her, staring at her with a look that was both approving and more than a little possessive. _Oh God. I'm glad I didn't meet him at his place._ He was wearing a similar outfit to her and, not for the first time, she took note of how much more, well, _ripped_ this Zane was. _Definitely glad we didn't meet anywhere private._

Zane stood up and shouldered a backpack of his own before motioning toward the door. "Shall we?" he asked. She smiled at him and even allowed him to open the door for her. Once outside, she noticed that he'd driven his motorcycle. She was about to ask if he expected her to ride without a second helmet, when she saw that he was continuing to walk on without her. He smiled back at her over his shoulder. "You'd better keep up, Lupo. We've got a long walk ahead of us." She sped up, welcoming the challenge, and soon they were matching strides.

"So where are you taking me?" she asked, glad that she had never done anything like this with Zane before.

"It's a surprise," he said with a smile. "It's about 5 miles from here, so I thought we'd enjoy the hike. I'm hoping it's not a date you've ever been on before," he added, sounding a little hesitant.

"So far, so good," she replied, "the other Zane wasn't quite as…well, let's just say he didn't get in as much physical activity as you."

His eyes widened and his face fell with incredulity. "I was FAT!"

Jo laughed so hard she had to stop walking. After a moment, while Zane was getting increasingly annoyed, she shook her head. "No, no, no," she wheezed, "you were just skinny!" Laughter bubbled up again and she looked Zane in the eyes. "You were cute. But now…"

He smiled a lopsided grin. "Now, I'm hot. You can say it."

"Now you're insufferable!" She tried to sound annoyed, but she knew she had failed. _Insufferable and hot_.

They continued hiking away from town, talking about work, complaining about Fargo, and throwing jabs back and forth about who would win if they were fighting each other in different types of combat. For a second her stomach had dropped when he said he'd kill her in a battle of the brains. But she had retorted that she'd kick his ass in a battle with weapons, and he'd conceded to her with a, "Hell yeah, you would!" Jo then informed him that she'd also wipe the floor with him in a dance-off. Zane had simply raised his eyebrows, and said, "Oh, really?" before claiming that he could take her in a wrestling match.

"Um.. No," she said. "It would only end badly for you."

"I dunno…" he replied, "I'm pretty strong."

"Strength has nothing to do with it. I'm highly trained in hand-to-hand combat. And I've had three brothers. I'd like to see you try to pin me."

"We could try later," he added slyly, "but I think you'd end up breaking that vow of yours." He motioned his hands over his torso, "You wouldn't be able to resist this."

She punched him in the arm. "You are such an ass."

"Yeah, but you love it."

She felt her face go hot and couldn't respond. Zane smiled knowingly. "You're very cute when you're flustered."

Jo let out a loud sigh and shook her head as Zane chuckled to himself. "Amused at something?" she asked.

"I'm just happy, JoJo." He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

_I'm happy too, _she thought, more than a little surprised at the thought. _Maybe 'letting it be' wouldn't be too hard after all._

Soon they were turning onto a dirt trail and she suddenly knew where they were headed.

"Oh no…" she trailed off, her voice filled with a little bit of dread, and even more embarrassment.

"What?" Zane stopped to look at her. "Did I take you here before? Damn it, Jo, competing against myself is not very fair."

They were standing on a path that, in about another mile, would take them directly to the park where she'd played paintball with Taggart. She could feel her face go red.

She sighed and covered her face with her hand. "It's not you. I came here with…with someone else."

Zane's expression changed from frustration to gleeful curiosity in an instant. "Oh, really!" he said, his voice peaking with interest. "Just who is this guy? Do I need to fight him? Is he as hot as me? I'll kick his ass."

Jo dropped her hand and gave him a look of annoyance. "You are such a child."

He grinned then. "It was Fargo, wasn't it," he said gleefully, "you liked those nerdy, skinny types." And he winked at her. Actually _winked_ at her.

"Oh my _God,_ Zane, it was NOT Fargo! It was Taggart, okay? We played paintball. And if you say anything, a _single word_, I swear I will crush your windpipe so you can never say another word again."

Jo quickly realized her mistake. She had stepped up to Zane, closing the distance between them and pointing her finger hard into his chest, trying to drive the threat home. But then she looked up at him, his eyes mischievous and laughing, and then he was kissing her.

He broke it off quickly, making it more of a tease than if he'd let the kiss deepen.

"You're really hot when you're threatening me," he said, his voice deep, "did you know that?"

"You may have mentioned it once or twice," she said, stepping away from him to catch her breath. "I'm starting to think you provoke me on purpose."

He laughed. "I would _never_ do such a thing, Ms. Lupo. How dare you make such an accusation."

She glared at him, but couldn't muster any real heat behind it. "You really are horrible, you know."

"I can't help it JoJo," he said. "You just bring out the worst me." And then he grabbed her hand and her heart skipped a beat.

_We sleep together for weeks, _she thought, _and _this_ is what gets me excited. I'm such_ _a girl._

They continued walking hand in hand, Zane intermittently rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, sending goose bumps up her arm.

"I met Taggart once," he said suddenly. "He seemed like a nice guy. A little strange, but nice. And I can't blame the guy for being interested in you."

She would have elbowed him for bringing the subject back up, but his voice was sincere. "It's embarrassing now," she said, "but at the time, I don't know… he seemed to really like me, for me. And he wasn't intimidated…" she trailed off.

Zane nodded. "I bet you intimidate a lot of guys. You scare the crap out of me," he added with a smile, "but I'm too stupid to care."

Jo just laughed, hardly believing her ears, and squeezed his hand affectionately.

_Oh Zane. You stupid, insufferable, brilliant, wonderful, sexy man.  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2. Let the fluff drowning commence.  
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When they reached the entrance to the park, Zane suddenly stepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "I have to blindfold you."

She raised her eyebrows and she swore he giggled. "Such a dirty mind, JoJo!" He pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket and began wrapping it over her eyes. She felt his breathe on her ear and shivered. "We're done with all of that, remember?" His voice was low and soft. "Your rules, not mine."

Before she could punch him or kiss him senseless (she wasn't sure which she wanted to do more, at the moment), he was gently guiding her forward, warm hands on her shoulders.

He led her up a grassy hill, telling her when it was getting steeper or when they were about to change direction, until the ground leveled out and he slowed her to a stop. She heard a soft buzzing sound, lasting only a second, and then Zane slid the blindfold off.

She let out a small gasp and her hands moved over her mouth in surprise.

There were flowers everywhere. Every kind she could imagine, from elegant roses to wild daisies, all strewn about the ground and somehow decorating the surrounding trees. In the middle of it all was a large blanket, checkered red and white, and what looked like a picnic basket.

She looked at Zane, who was grinning from ear to ear. "You did all of this?" she asked in a small voice.

"Just for you, JoJo."

"But…why?" she blurted out.

Zane's eyebrows furrowed as he frowned at her. "What d'you mean, why? This _is_ a date, right? You know…I try to impress you and show you a good time, you fall hopelessly in love with me…" he trailed off when he didn't get a laugh out of her. "Surely I tried to impress you, you know, _before_…"

She walked forward and bent to pick up a yellow tulip lying at the edge of the flower carpet. She fidgeted with it for a moment before turning toward him. She looked up at him and unbidden, a single tear fell down her cheek. "You never tried this hard before." _God, I can't believe I'm crying. Damn it Jo, pull it together. _She reached her hand up to wipe away the tear, but Zane reached forward and beat her to it. His thumb was rough and warm. "Well, then I was really dumb," he said. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the blanket. "Now, come on. Let's get to the part where you have fun and fall hopelessly in love with me." She laughed, relieved that he hadn't lingered on her emotions, and let him lead her. _Too late_, she thought.

When they reached the edge of the blanket, she let go of his hand so she could remove her boots. She pulled off her socks next, crawled onto the soft blanket and lay on her back, eyes closed, wriggling her toes in the sun. She heard Zane chuckle and a moment later he was lying beside her. She peeked down at his feet and they were bare. She smiled. "This is really nice," she said. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," he replied, "but the day is far from done." At that moment her stomach growled and Zane laughed. "And that's my cue."

Jo sat up on her elbows and watched him as he unzipped his backpack and pulled out containers of food. She grabbed the picnic basket and found it full of plates and silverware, and a wine glass for each of them. She quirked an eyebrow at the wine glasses, knowing Zane's dislike for drinking alcohol, but then remembered something else.

"Zane, what was that buzzing sound I heard, right before you pulled off my blindfold?"

"Oh," he smiled at her, "I needed a way to keep this," he gestured at the flowers around him, "from getting disturbed. I borrowed a mini force-field from Fargo."

"Fargo," she said flatly, "and he just let you." It was an accusation, rather than a question.

"Well, I told him what it was for…. And I may have told him that if he didn't let me borrow it, I'd tell Holly about his _secret collection_"

_Ha_, she thought. _I'm glad some things haven't changed._ "What secret collection?"

His grin was almost evil. "I have no idea. But it scared him enough to give up the field generator. Almost makes me want to break into his house and find out."

"Don't you dare, Zane Donovan. I can still arrest you."

"Might be worth it," he laughed, but put his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "But not today. I'm not done with our date."

She handed him the plates and he began dishing out the food. It was all still hot (or cold, in some cases) thanks to Vincent's thermal-retention containers. She smiled as he handed her plate back to her. He'd gotten some of her favorites; a mediterranean salad, whole grain penne in olive oil with vegetables and parmesan, and Vincent's special recipe hazelnut cookies that tasted just like her grandmother's. He then pulled out two bottles and poured a glass of wine for her and a glass of sparkling grape juice for himself. She smiled inwardly at his drink of choice. _So…him._

They ate quietly, the only sounds coming from the birds and the occasional crunching from Zane's peanut butter and bacon sandwich. When they finished, she helped him clean up and put everything back into the basket to take back to Vincent later. She was about to lay back down and soak in the sun again when Zane stood over her and held out his hands to pull her up. She let him help her to her feet and then they were folding up the checkered blanket, leaving a square of pure green grass beneath them. Zane took a small device out of his pocket, clicked a button, and music began to play.

She looked at him, eyes wide, and noticed he looked almost…shy.

He smiled timidly at her, "I, uh, hadn't known you were a dancer until today. If you don't mind my complete lack of skills, I'd still like to dance with you."

She beamed at him. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to express her joy at this simple offer. So she simply wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned her head into the crook of his neck.

He laughed, and put his arms around her back, his relief evident. "I'll take that as a yes." He held her close and they swayed together. Sting's _Fields of Gold_ played among the flowers and trees and Jo swore she was in heaven.

"I don't think this day could go any better," she said softly against his chest. The song ended, then, and Zane kissed her forehead before giving her a little twirl, making her laugh.

"Well," he said, "I hope there's room for one more surprise."

"There's more?" she asked incredulously. "Who are you and what have you done with Zane?"

He chuckled. "You just sit here looking beautiful, and I'll be right back. Give me about five minutes."

"Are you going to find the real Zane?" she yelled as he jogged away into the trees.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily!" he shouted back.

She grinned and sat down, plucking a rose from nearby. She stared at it, her thoughts buzzing. _This has been the most bizarre and wonderful day I've ever had. _The scared and cynical part of her mind started to wonder about his motivations, when the little voice inside her head said _just let it be. _And she listened to it. She sat happily in silence for a few more minutes before she heard a familiar sound overhead. Turning to look back over her shoulder, she watched as Zane landed the sky cruiser where he had first removed her blindfold. He sauntered up to her, holding out a helmet to her while lifting the visor on his own so she could see his face.

"I'm going to grab our things, you put this on."

She took the helmet and put it on, wondering where on earth they were going now, and climbed on behind him when he was ready.

He twisted around and smirked at her, "You're going to want to hold on tight."

"There's the Zane I know," she retorted, grinning at him. He laughed, and then they were up in the air. 

The air was cool and the sun was bright, so Jo closed her eyes and simply relished in the warmth of Zane's back as she leaned against him; she felt like she was floating. Sooner than she expected, they were descending. She looked down to see where he'd taken her and her face fell..._S.A.R.A.H. He brought me home. _She felt a little disappointed. She hadn't wanted the day to end just yet.

They landed and dismounted and were removing their helmets when something felt… wrong. She looked at Zane and his smile was mischievous, like he had played a particularly good joke on her. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Just what are you grinning about?"

Instead of answering her, he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. He opened the outer door and led the way down the concrete stairs to the main entry.

"Ash, door please," he said, and the door opened, revealing the last thing in the world Jo had expected.

She stared in wonder as she stepped inside and took in the details of the house. It was decorated very similarly to how her previous houses had been, in cool blues and greens with warm, heavy fabrics and plenty of natural light coming through the ceiling. Even the layout seemed to be the same. And there were photos everywhere, framed on the walls and displayed on tabletops and over the fireplace. She walked slowly toward the mantel, hardly breathing, as she looked more closely at the pictures there. Images of her family, of her and her brothers, were smiling back at her. _This is impossible._ She took a deep breath and her strength left her. She fell weakly onto the couch and buried her face into her hands, unable to hold back the tears.

The couch moved as Zane sat down beside her. He began rubbing her back in slow circles. "I'm sorry it's not your old house. I hope you like it, though."

She leaned into him, her face pressed against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. He held her quietly, running his hands through her hair and kissing the top of her head, as she tried to calm herself and dry her tears. Eventually she pulled herself away from him and stared at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but she had no words. _There _are_ no words._

Again, Zane saved her. He pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Jo, meet Ash: Automated Safe House. The name's a little ironic… sorry about that, but this house is as catastrophe-proof as we could make it."

"We?" she asked, shakily.

"Fargo and I designed it. I needed his help altering S.A.R.A.H.s programming and getting the specs from your previous house so we could make it as comfortable as possible for you." He grinned at her then, and added, "And I didn't even have to bribe him."

She laughed then and a stray tear spilled down her cheek. Zane brushed it away, as before, and tilted her chin up to look at him. "Tell me what you're thinking, JoJo."

"I…" she started. And then she gave up trying to talk and just kissed him, struggling to pour every emotion and thought she had into his mouth. He responded, pulling her tightly against him as she clutched at his shirt, trying to get even closer. "Zane," she breathed, before kissing him again. With another breath, she exhaled, "bedroom, now."

He shook his head. "Can't."

She moaned. "Why the hell not?"

He moved his mouth to her neck, speaking in between kisses and nibbles. "You said we were done."

She growled at him and pushed him back into the wall, pinning him there, her face just inches from his. "Zane Donovan, if you don't take me to the bedroom now, I will drag you there myself and have my way with you."

He smirked at her. "You promise?"

But before she could argue, he was stealing her away in his arms and carrying her toward the bedroom.


End file.
